Lives of Scripture

Matthew was a tax collector working at a booth in Capernaum, a profession Jews of his day viewed with contempt, since tax collectors served the occupying Roman government and were widely associated with extortion and collaboration with Gentile power. Jesus, passing by, said simply, 'Follow Me,' and Matthew 'got up and followed Him' (Matthew 9:9) -- an immediate, costly break from a lucrative but despised livelihood. Mark and Luke identify this same man as Levi, son of Alphaeus (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). Matthew responded to his calling by hosting a large banquet at his house, gathering 'many tax collectors and sinners' to meet Jesus (Matthew 9:10; Luke 5:29). When the Pharisees objected to Jesus eating with such company, He answered, 'It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick... I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners' (Matthew 9:12-13) -- a defense that both vindicated Matthew's changed life and defined the shape of Jesus' whole ministry. Matthew is later listed among the Twelve apostles chosen by Jesus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15) and among the disciples gathered in Jerusalem after the ascension (Acts 1:13). Tradition -- not Scripture itself -- credits Matthew as the author of the Gospel bearing his name, which places unusual emphasis on Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, fitting for a Jewish tax collector writing to a Jewish audience; Scripture does not state the Gospel's authorship directly.